


Loyalty

by orphan_account



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Backstory, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 15:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/941560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How did Achilles know who Connor's father was? Achilles & Ziio friendship fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Loyalty

Ziio stopped midway up the hill and placed her hands upon her knees. Despite herself, she felt a small surge of embarrassment. She'd once been so strong, energetic. She could race any man, climb every tree. That was before Haytham's child weighed down her belly. She'd been so, so careful and forced herself to ease up on her constant activity. And now, her son was weighing down her back. 

Clan mother had told her the child was unusually big, a sign of his strength. It didn't feel like so much of a blessing right now. A soft gurgle came from behind her ear. She wondered for a moment if the baby was laughing or encouraging her. Huffing, she pushed herself off her knees and continued the trek.

The house came into view just over the horizon. The door swung open before Ziio had even had the chance to knock. She wondered how long Achilles had been watching her. She wondered if he'd spent the past year expectantly watching the dirt path and felt guilt knot in the pit of her stomach. Achilles was smiling lightly, and the warm familiarity between them put her nerves at ease somewhat. 

She expected some sort of wisecrack as greeting, but the man stayed silent and only widened the door further.

Ziio hesitated for a moment before stepping inside. 

"It is nice to see a friendly face after so long, Ziio."

The foreign guilt in her stomach returned and Ziio shifted uncomfortably. Apologetic did not suit her at all. 

"A child?" The words rushed out all in one breath and Ziio nearly cringed at the emotion hidden just beneath. Achilles shut his mouth for a second and when he spoke again, his voice was measured, steady. "I believe congratulations are in order, my friend." His cracked palm met her shoulder, and she did not shrug it off. 

"I imagined you must have been very busy for such a long time to go between your visits but this was not what I had in mind." He smiled again, showing his white teeth this time, and Ziio could not help mirroring his expression.

"What is his name?"

"Ratohnhnaketon"

The corner of his mouth quirked up in amusement. Yet another name he'd have to invent a nickname for. 

She brought her hands behind her back and began to tug at the ties keeping the cradleboard on her back.

She watched the man from the corner of her eye and saw that his gaze had landed on the child, his face lost in some nostalgic fog. His skin was ashy. When was the last time he'd left the house outside of pure necessity? 

Noticing her gaze, Achilles eyes snapped away from the child. Fearing he'd been rude, he gestured towards the cradleboard with his hand. "Oh. May I?"

Ziio nodded and Achilles began to undo the laces around her shoulders. The weight of the board was gone right after and she stretched out her arms and shoulders in relief.

She felt like tossing a joke in his direction, but the poor man's spirits had plummeted after the fever caught up with his family. It had been many, many, months since she'd seen him and it seemed that his mood had only improved to the point where he was willing to leave his room. 

Her heart panged with guilt, but she brushed it off and craned her neck around, cracking it. Guilt wouldn't do either of them any good.

Ziio felt a twist in her heart. Achilles was cradling her child and gazing upon the baby's face with such tenderness it could break her heart. Yet he seemed to be somewhere else, looking at someone else's face.

"Your child has very beautiful eyes, Ziio. Just like yours." His voice came out just above a whisper. He didn't look away from Ratonhnhaketon's face.

"Why don't we sit down? You must be tired." He began walking towards the sitting room and Ziio considered taking her son back but decided against it, not wanting to do anything that could change Achilles' mood.

Achilles took the seat furthest from the window, out of the sunlight. Specks of dust fogged the sunlight coming in through the window. Again, Ziio held her tongue and did not make her usual jests, taking the seat closest to the window and watching as Achilles curled a lock of silky black hair around his finger.

"How is the village?"

"Not much different from the last time I saw you, Achilles. We are doing as well as we can."

"And your mother?"

"In good health, as stubborn as ever."

"But safe, I hope?"

"We are all safe."

She silently hoped that he hadn't spent too much time worrying over her safety, but knew that it was simply against Achilles' nature not to care, no matter how well he hid it.

"Tell me about your family." 

Ziio sat up straight in the stiff chair and resisted shuffling her feet. She'd been hoping her friend wouldn't want to speak about it, although she knew that he had to know her story if her son was to be kept safe. It was as though she'd betrayed him and now wanted to ask for his protection. She glanced out the window. The sun was at its zenith.

"You know about my family."

Her neck pricked with goosebumps and she could feel the heat of his gaze on her. He was expecting stories of a man from her village, of a wedding. Not passive aggressive evasion.

Ziio chewed the inside of her cheek and smoothed out her face before turning to the man again. Silently she stretched her arms out towards him and he obliged, returning the babe to her arms. She pressed Ratohnhnaketon's to her chest. He was nearly asleep now. 

Achilles stretched back into his chair and placed his hands in his lap, his legs splayed out in front of him.

She'd seen him take that stance with misbehaving recruits. He wasn't expecting very good news. He read her too damn well.

She looked at her child. His drowsy eyes. Her own eyes. At his mouth. Haytham's mouth. What would Achilles see once she told him? 

"His father is a white man. A powerful man." Achilles' eyebrows were raised and Ziio cursed herself for prolonging the awkwardness.

"His father is Haytham Kenway." She forced herself to look into Achilles eyes. There was no real need to explain much further. She knew enough about the invisible conflict in the colonies to know that where Achilles stood as the leader of one side, Haytham was his match. His equal and enemy.

Achilles was silent. 

"There is a darkness in that man. A hunger for control that would destroy anything in its path. I need to ask something of you."

He nodded at this and locked his eyes on hers "Of course". So like him. She hadn't seen him in months and he was ready to swear an oath to her before even knowing what it was.

"If I cannot protect him any longer, promise that you will keep my son away from him. Away from this war." She looked at her child again. He was asleep now, and she felt her heart swell with love.

"He has enough battles lined up for him. This world will not be kind to him. And I don't want him involving himself in anything that could bring out Haytham's..."

"Dark hunger."

"Yes."

There was silence and for a moment Ziio thought that perhaps Achilles would cast her out. That he would never do anything for the son of a Templar.

"I will keep your child safe, friend." He reached out and grasped his hand in hers.

"Anything for a friend."


End file.
